The Celio REDFLY Mobile Companion from Celio Corp garnished alot of attention at this year's CES as a notebook replacement with no operating system, but works merely as an extension of a Windows Mobile device providing an 8 inch screen and full sized keyboard.
CEO Kirt Bailey told us at CES that the REDFLY is a companion device for Windows Mobile devices without having to repeat computing power on a laptop form factor as well as without having to deal with the operating system, hardware, and software expense and support issues involved with laptops and UMPCs. He told us they were mainly targeting companies and enterprise users that have to issue users with laptops and mobile phones. This saves the cost not only of purchasing a laptop, but also the ROI involved with managing and administering the devices, which are estimated to roughly $4100 a year each. Another issues was security because the REDFLY doesn't store any sensitive information and all the data remains on the smartphone, displays can be shared amongst users without risk of data loss or security breach.
Unboxing and Setting up the REDFLY
The REDFLY comes in one color on release and it will be a scarlet maroon that has some flecks of red metallic in it. There is some nice thought into the overall design including matching the color of the touch pad to the outside color. Out of the box the screen has a protective removable plastic film that should be removed before using.
The finish on the REDFLY is similar to many phones in that it has the "soft touch" finish that gives it a slightly rubbery/silicon feel so it has some grip to it and won't easily slip out of your hands.
(Note: the review unit we had was a pre-production unit so the final unit may vary from the one reviewed here)
The REDFLY measures in at 1 x 6 x 9 inches (just a bit smaller than the Fujitsu P1610) and weighs only 2lbs 4oz with the included 9VDC power supply and an ounce just under 2lbs if you choose to leave the charger at home, in the hotel, or back in the office. If you do, the unit when tethered via USB charging our device averaged 5.5 hrs of battery and 7.5 hours via a Bluetooth connection. This is inline with the stated 8hrs if you round up from the 4500ma Lithium Polymer rechargeable battery.
The REDFLY has 2 USB 2.0 powered ports on the back of the unit that can be used to synchronize and charge your Windows Mobile device or to connect to a USB keyboard, mouse, or even external storage like a USB thumb drive.
Also on the back is a standard 15pin VGA port used for an external display or projector perfect for giving presentations on a larger screen as well as via a projector.
The last port on the back is a 9VDC connector for charging the device and using it on AC power in case you ran the batteries down.It takes on average about 18 minutes to fully charge the internal Li polymer battery.The unit can even charge the current hungry i-mate JasJar aka HTC Universal.
On the right side of the unit near the hinge is the power button. Pressing the button turns the unit on. Also on the right hand side are two LED lights that the one on the right closest to the power button lights up green indicating that the unit is on in case you have the screen contrast too low or the lid closed since there is no auto shutoff switch or light sensor. The left light also changes to amber when the device is charging, green when it is fully charged and red when it is low.
When the screen is turned on it will first turn on in full brightness mode with the mouse cursor centered on the screen and a slide out tool bar of icons will appear indicating the status of connection, battery state (charging, fully charged, 1/2 charged, or if the battery needs charging) Num Lock and Caps Lock. If this screen disappears to quickly for you to read it all you have to do is move the mouse cursor over the the lower right-hand corner and bring it back on the display.
The icons will even show you how you are connected via USB 1, USB 2, Bluetooth, or not connected. There also a signal strength meter if you are connected via Bluetooth.
The REDFLY Mobile Companion is compatible with selected Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC and Smartphone editions and Windows Mobile 6 Professional and Standard Editions. A list of tested smartphones is available at www.celiocorp.com/smartphone. At the time of this review only a handful of devices were supported on the Pocket PC Platform with support for Smartphones aka Windows Mobile Standard coming soon.
You have two choices in which to install the software either over the air or via your computer.
The 8" screen supports resolutions up to 800 x 480 (WVGA) pixels. The current drivers available for the REDFLY are only QVGA for certain device models like the HTC Mogul - Sprint ,HTC Tilt 8900 - AT&T, HTC XV6800 - Verizon Wireless ,Samsung SCH-i760 - Verizon Wireless and Palm Treo 700wx - Verizon Wireless. I decided to give the HTC Tilt drivers a try and download the drivers directly on my VGA display device, the imate JasJar aka HTC Universal. The drivers had an option to install on the device or on the storage card. I chose to install onto the device to prevent any performance problems.
A reboot was required to install the the drivers properly and after a soft reset the device was ready to be hooked up and paired with the REDFLY.
To first connect the REDFLY to your Windows Mobile device you will need to do this via a USB cable. Once connected your Windows Mobile screen will go blank except for a REDFLY icon showing that it is connected and your display will show up on the 8" REDFLY display in landscape mode.
Under the Start-> Settings Folder-> was a new icon for the REDFLY that allowed you to configure how you want the REDFLY to interact with your device.
Once connected via USB or Bluetooth you can also access this screen via the REDFLY button.
To connect via Bluetooth you will need to use the REDFLY software to initiate the connection. This looks at the MAC address of the connected device and establishes the proper pairing and partnership between your Windows Mobile devices and the REDFLY. Up to 5 devices can be paired to the REDFLY, which is great for an office that chooses to save costs and share just one unit for sales calls, meetings, etc. Before authorizing the device you will have to turn your Bluetooth radio set on.
To connect via Bluetooth you have three options on how to do it. All require that you can initiate it by pressing the Bluetooth key on the keyboard, which is Function F12 and choose which device you wish to connect it to or when you setup your Bluetooth connection settings you can have it automatically pair with your Windows Mobile device upon power up, Ask whether to connect or reject the connection.
Bluetooth is a nice option to have if you forget your USB cable or don't feel like removing your Windows Mobile device from your bag or pocket.
Some Caveats
- When disconnected from the REDFLY it takes about 7 seconds for the screen to return. The default orientation that it returns to is portrait.
- When you are connected to the REDFLY you can't beam files over IR or Bluetooth due to the current communication between the REDFLY and your Windows Mobile device.
- The USB ports also allows you to use USB Jump drives for additional storage, but the USB ports don't see external USB hard dives. The drive will spin up and power up fine, but Windows Mobile may be the deciding factor here. So its just USB thumb drives, which still isn't bad.
- The Bluetooth connection is not as fast as a direct connection given the speed of the data pathway. Bluetooth is good for checking your emails and PowerPoint. USB seems the way to go for extended usage.
Working with the REDFLY
When I got the REDFLY I plugged it in and it charged up in literally 3 minutes at the airport (probably due to a residual charge left on the device when it left Celio) and I took it with me on my flight to Redmond for the MVP Summit. I had downloaded and installed the software on both my HTC Wizard and HTC Universal in under 2 minutes while we waited to take off and was up and running using it. This was without reading the manual, which gives very detailed directions in their Quick Start Guide. After being told to turn off all electronics and put the tray in the upright position, I turned off both the REDFLY and my phone and placed them in the pouch on the back of the seat in front of me for take off.
I did bring the Quick Start Guide with me on the plane to read and peruse while we took off. After being notified to that we could use our electronics I was able to quickly pull them out of the pouch in front of me and get back to work. One of the flight attendants asked me if I was connected to the Internet through my phone, while half the plane got up to use the rest rooms, because he saw it tethered via USB to my phone. I proceed to show him how it worked and what it was. He was impressed and he asked if they were available for sale yet because he would like to use it with his Windows Mobile Treo, but gauffed at the price when I told him.
After my quick demo, I quickly brought up Word Mobile and started writing this review. To give you my first impressions and initial findings as I discovered them. I really like the size of the touchpad, which is a wide screen pad matching the display similar to the Apple Macbook Air. The touchpad speed out of the box was a bit slow and required several swipes of the finger to get it to navigate across the screen. I went into the Input tab in the REDFLY and was able to speed up the responsiveness of the touchpad to my preferences which was fast in order to transverse the entire screen in one swipe.
I went with the default settings for dimming the screen and sleep (shutting the device down) because it seemed to fit my usage pattern. As I reached looked out the window or partook in a conversation the screen dimmed saving battery life and shut off after 10 minutes, while I was glancing over the Quick Start Guide and gnoshing on some snacks.
I easily was able to read and respond to email -even using OWA (Outlook Web Access) using the full sized keyboard. The only request I would want would be the ability to zoom out to fit more text on the screen. I went and changed my System Settings->Screen->Text Size to the smallest setting and found it much more usable and I enabled clear type. It would be nice if these settings could be saved into a profile so when you connected to the REDFLY your settings for smaller print would become active and then default back to your handheld settings when you disconnect. Word and Excel do allow you to set your Zoom levels inside the program which are very useful when using the REDFLY's 8" screen.
I found 75% zoom to be comfortable in viewing and typing Word documents.
Using Excel Mobile on the REDFLY is a dream! See I have these pretty large and elaborate spreadsheets for project planning, construction projects, inventory, and IP address, port assignments, my DVD collection, etc. Viewing without panning up/down and left/right is very time consuming and now I can view them pretty quickly and fairly easy as I do when I am using a laptop or desktop computer. I can make changes to a spreadsheet and have it synch via shared folders in Exchange when I am connected to the Internet as well as have a local copy that fits in my pocket. It really is great to see quick graphs and large spread sheets in all their glory with out having to shrink it all down and squint at the content. Coupled with a USB mouse I didn't miss using my P1610.
Remote desktop looks very nice on the REDFLY and even allowed me to control my Media Center at home as well as remote in to a few servers.
The touch and pitch on the keyboard were comfortable enough for short stints of typing. I am used to typing on a small keyboard of my P1610 so the transition for me wasn't too bad as it might be for others it it is you can also add larger USB keyboard and mouse. :) Using the keyboard to quickly cut and paste as well as shortcuts also saves time and increases productivity from working directly on the device, that doesn't have CTRL and ALT keys amongst others. Also being able to use PG UP and PG DN buttons are nice as well when perusing a long document,email, PDF, or spread sheet is great. Switching between applications by using the ALT-TAB key combination is great too, which was helpful when I had to look at a Word document, spreadsheet and email simultaneously.
With all the keys being a benefit, the REDFLY adds even more. Yes more. You can even customize some of the hotkeys if you wish.
The function keys have additional shortcuts assigned to them:
F1 = Home, which opens your Today screen
F2 = Mail, which launches your Mobile Messaging
F3 = Web, lauches Internet Explorer Mobile
F4 = Send, acts like the green phone Send key
F5 = End, acts like the red phone End key
F6 = L Menu- which operates like the left softkey
F7 = R Menu - which operates like the right softkey
F8 = OK works like the dedicated OK button on a keypad
F9 = Brightness Decrease
F10 = Brightness Increase
F11 = External Monitor Toggle
F12 = Bluetooth activation key with your Windows Mobile device
REDFLY = There is also a special button to launch the REDFLY software
When I got back from MVP Summit I made it a mission to use it as my primary computer replacement for a week at work. So it brought it to meetings to take notes as I would my current Tablet PC using OneNote Mobile, granted I couldn't take hand written notes and simultaneously record audio, but I was still able to take good typed notes. I could triage, read and respond to email pretty quickly with out having to wait for my computer to wake up from sleep and logon with my password and ground away loading up applications. On the REDFLY I begin using after entering my password on the keyboard nonetheless. Entering numbers into a spreadsheet went pretty quickly using the numeric keypad, much faster than just using my phone. I was also able to answer and place calls using the dedicated buttons on the keyboard.
Bringing the device into meetings did elicit some conversation and comments on my new small laptop. Others were also wondering where I was getting Internet access since there was no WiFi in the conference room. I was able to VPN into our Sharepoint server and pull up some documents from the last meeting as well as easily use the simple Internet Explorer Mobile browser to look up some specs on a few new ceiling equipment booms for our new GI suites.
Browsing websites doesn't look too bad using Internet Explorer Mobile, however if there is a mobile version the page will render for mobile.
Granted I did try to use the new Opera browser beta 9.5 and I got some Direct Draw errors and it wouldn't open.
Using an older version of Opera v.8.65, I was able to work and the experience very similar to working on a small screened laptop or UMPC. It was a nice experience.
Later that day I was able to pull up a PowerPoint presentation I had on a thumb drive to do an ACLS In-Service training for some doctors and nurses. I attached the REDFLY to their conference room projector.
Next all I had to do was press the F11 key and select just like on a laptop either from just the LCD display, LCD Display and external monitor, or just external monitor. I chose to go with dual display as I do with my laptop. I was able to deliver my training class with no hitches. I even had my Windows Mobile device in my hand and advanced the slides using the arrow keys and the directional pad. Before giving the presentation I did adjust the Battery Power settings in the REDFLY software not to dim the screen or go to sleep.
When using a USB Memory stick it will appear on the device as a Remote Storage device under File Explorer and you can peruse the directory as you would on any device. At the Microsoft MVP Summit, Eric Hicks was able to copy a certificate from his computer onto a thumb drive and transfer it to a server back at home using the REDFLY and Remote Desktop via his iMate JasJar.
Some applications I did miss where I did need to use a laptop or desktop were drawing programs, audio/video editing, and Live Meeting. I hope someone comes out with a Live Meeting client for Windows Mobile soon. However I was easily able to do with out them when out of the office.
Standing and holding the unit one handed and typing was a bit awkward due to the weight of the display being heaver than the base made it difficult to hold unless I held it behind the hinge. It was manageable, but not as easy to use as a Tablet PC, UMPC or Windows Mobile device.
Hey guess what? You can even play some games on the REDFLY. Granted not all screens render perfectly and performance is a bit sluggish, but you can play some games like Bubble Breaker, Solitaire, Zuma, Hexic, etc without any problems. If you want to play video or use applications like Sling Player Mobile, the drivers and speed are not quite there yet.
If allowable by law you can even use the REDFLY as a larger screen for your GPS navigation software in your car.
The REDFLY also works well with both Google Maps for Mobile and Windows Live Mobile Search.
The instant on feature of the REDFLY is a great and connecting it up being productive in a short period of time extends the functionality of your Windows Mobile device is its biggest strength. The price point however is its weakest point with an MSRP of $499 it aligns it self with some very affordable small laptops like the Asus EEPC and HP MiniNote. Where its cost savings comes in is in the licensing of software, maintenance, hardware, security, and service of the laptop, which averages most companies around $4100 per user. These costs are saved without any worry of loss of sensitive data if the device is lost or stolen. The same unit can also be easily shared with up to 5 different users cutting down costs even more.
Product Information
Product Name and Model Number: REDFLY Mobile Companion C8
Size: 1 x 6 x 9 inches
Weight: 2.0 lbs.
Battery Life: 8 Hours under normal use via USB
Display Size: 8 inch diagonal wide screen
Display Resolution: 800 x 480
VGA Display Output: 800 x 480
Keyboard: 8.3 inch 80-key QWERTY keyboard
Touchpad: 1.0 x 2.9 inches
Special Fn keys: Fn buttons are hot-keys for phone control
(i.e. send, end, OK, esc, left menu, right menu, etc)
Operating System Compatibility:
Windows Mobile 5.0 (Pocket PC and Smartphone editions)
Windows Mobile 6.0 (Professional and Standard editions)
More operating system compatibility to be announced
See tested smartphone list at http://www.celiocorp.com/smartphone
Application Compatibility:
Applications and data from the smartphone appear on the REDFLY
enabled display
Ports and Connectors: VGA port, 2 high speed USB 2.0 ports, AC power connector
Smartphone Connection: via Bluetooth Bluetooth 2.0 EDR (compatible with Bluetooth 1.0, 2.0)
Smartphone Connection: via USB Use USB cable included with smartphone
Smartphone Charger: via USB Able to charge smartphones via USB (as supported by phone)
USB Flash Drive Compatibility Standard USB Flash Drives (Drives appear on smartphone file system)
USB Keyboard Compatibility: Standard USB Keyboards
USB Mouse Compatibility: Standard USB Mice
AC Power Charger: AC Power Adapter Input: 90 – 264VAC, 47 – 63 Hz, Output: 9VDC, 2.5A
Operating Temperature: 0 degree C min (32 degrees F), 55 degress C max (131 degrees F)
At the time of this review drivers for only Windows Mobile Professional/Pocket PC devices were available. Today Celio announced support for 12 new phones to its list of supported smartphones (Beta release dates will be announced during Q2, 2008):
HP iPAQ 910 6.0 Professional
HTC Touch Sprint 6.0 Professional
HTC Dash T-Mobile 6.0 Standard
HTC Wing T-Mobile 6.0 Professional
Motorola MOTO Q AT&T 6.0 Standard
Motorola MOTO Q 9h AT&T 6.0 Standard
Motorola MOTO Q Sprint 5.0 Smart Phone
Motorola MOTO Q 9c Sprint 6.0 Standard
Motorola MOTO Q 9m Verizon 6.0 Standard
Palm Treo 750 AT&T 5.0 Pocket PC
Samsung Black Jack AT&T 5.0 Smart Phone
Samsung Black Jack II AT&T 6.0 Standard
Company officials noted that Windows Mobile 6.1 compatibility is particularly important due to the new features of Microsoft SCMDM (Security Center Mobile Device Management). This new functionality allows enterprise IT managers to manage these mobile devices much more easily within the corporate environment to push applications, security settings and transparently manage devices out in the field.
The REDFLY Software will be available for other operating systems in the future. The REDFLY Mobile Companion from Celio Corp. will be available in May 2008 for $499 MSRP $399. To sign up for product updates head here to place a order for one head here.
(note this entire review was written using the REDFLY)